Popular antidepressant Fluoxetine has disappeared from pharmacies

In the list of pharmacies, single locations are visible in the Brest region: Kobryn, Byaroza, Brest, Zhabinka. Recently, it could be purchased in most pharmacies in Belarus, write "White Coats".

Fluoxetine is a relatively old drug, but it has not been relegated to the medical archives. WHO includes it in its model list of essential medicines. It is a drug for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia, and panic disorder; separately, the instructions mention a combination of fluoxetine with olanzapine for depressive episodes in bipolar I disorder and for resistant depression. Thus, its disappearance immediately affects several groups of patients.

The drug has several properties, thanks to which doctors continue to actively prescribe it:

• it can be used for nervosa bulimia, and for this group of patients, the choice is often very limited.
• There are pediatric indications: in the instructions, fluoxetine is indicated for the treatment of depression in children aged 8 years and older, and OCD in children aged 7 years and older.
• It has a long elimination period: the active substance and metabolite remain in the body longer than in many other antidepressants. For patients who sometimes forget to take a pill, this reduces the risk of a sharp deterioration from a single missed dose.

It is also very cheap. A package of Russian fluoxetine 20 mg No. 20 cost about 2.78—2.79 rubles. This is a standard dose; it can be three times higher, but even in this case, the cost of treatment per month is less than 9 rubles.

The consequences of fluoxetine's disappearance depend on the diagnosis and treatment regimen. Some patients can switch to another antidepressant. For others, this transition is undesirable: fluoxetine might have been prescribed after unsuccessful attempts to treat with other drugs. In bipolar disorder, replacement is more complex, as it involves changing not just one pill, but the entire regimen. For bulimia, there is still room for maneuver.

A separate risk is self-waiting. If a person's fluoxetine has run out and they are simply waiting for the drug to appear in pharmacies, their condition may worsen.

What should patients do?

If there is at least a month's supply of fluoxetine, drastic action may not be necessary: it is possible that new stock will appear sooner.

If there is little drug left or it has already run out, it is important not to delay, contact your doctor, and discuss a replacement. Independently changing the dosage, dividing the regimen "as best as possible," or interrupting treatment without consultation is a bad idea.

In the future, patients who constantly take fluoxetine should keep about a month's supply. This is an unpleasant piece of advice, as patients should not have to cover for themselves.

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